Crown Castle: Dish Wireless defaulted on tower payments

Crown Castle says Dish Wireless has stopped paying its tower lease bills and is now in default. As a result, Crown Castle has ended its agreement with Dish and plans to recover more than $3.5 billion in remaining payments owed under the deal.

The dispute underscores the financial strain around Dish’s network buildout and the risks tower companies face when major tenants fall behind. Crown Castle did not detail how it plans to collect, but the company is treating the missed payments as a material breach of contract and is moving to enforce its rights under the agreement.